thedrifter
03-19-09, 07:42 AM
1/6 Marines stalk Combat Hunter’s Course
3/17/2009 By Cpl. Casey Jones , 2nd Marine Division
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The Marines of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, are currently taking part in the two-week long Combat Hunter’s Course at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility here.
The Combat Hunter’s Course is relatively young having been in existence for less than 15 months. The course’s curriculum is still evolving but currently consists of three main parts; enhanced operations, combat profiling and combat tracking.
Enhanced observation is used to teach the Marines how to better use the equipment they already have and how to make their techniques more efficient. Combat profiling deals with recognizing human behavioral characteristics and recognizing patterns. Combat tracking is identifying tracks and information about individuals who’ve travelled through a specific area.
According to Capt. Adam A. Hecht, a team leader with the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion School of Infantry-East, the three phases of the course focus on different aspects of being in a hostile country. But when they’re all applied as one, they will give Marines a greater advantage over enemy combatants.
“The course is designed to create a proactive Marine, who is capable of acting in anticipation of events, in order to make him more survivable on the battlefield and to be more aware of his surroundings,” Hecht said.
These concepts are not intended solely for current military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but can be used in any situation to prevent terrorism. .
“The Combat Hunter’s Course is a universal concept and it’s not specific to any one country or culture,” Hecht said. “Through being able to observe better and utilize combat profiling and tracking and enhanced observations, the Marines ability to build a picture and their situational awareness will increase. They will be able to apply this knowledge anywhere.”
Usually, the course is attended by non-commissioned officers - specifically, infantry team and squad leaders. It’s been taught to all military occupational specialties since its inception.
Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, gave the course positive reviews and said they are more adept for a future deployment.
“Every Marine should take this course before they deploy,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Rios, an automatic rifleman with 3rd Platoon, Company B. “I’ve learned so much new material that will be able to help me in the short time we’ve been here.”
Cpl. Peter L. Dayton, an assistant instructor with AITB SOI East, said instructors notice remarkable amounts of improvements everyday in the Marine’s ability and confidence as they become more comfortable with the information being taught.
“On the first day or so, the Marines always raise their hands to ask questions because they don’t know much about what we’re teaching them,” Dayton said, “but once they figure it out, grasp the concepts and have increased confidence, the hand raising usually stops.”
The course is a mixture of instruction and actual application. The Marines must complete several scenarios and tests throughout the course. The scenarios can lasts for long periods of time and the Marines must battle fatigue and complacency in order to successfully complete their mission.
“The most challenging part of the course for the Marines is staying focused,” Dayton added. “The Marines are sometimes in observation posts for up to an hour and it can be sort of slow before it gradually picks up.”
Dayton said seeing Marines overcome obstacles and walk away with another set of tools they can use to protect themselves and their fellow Marines is a great sense of pride not only for him, but for all of the course instructors.
“The growth of the Marines gives us all a good amount of satisfaction,” Dayton said. “When the Marines leave here with more knowledge then before, for the instructors, it’s like, ‘hey, we’re doing our job.”
Ellie
3/17/2009 By Cpl. Casey Jones , 2nd Marine Division
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The Marines of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, are currently taking part in the two-week long Combat Hunter’s Course at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility here.
The Combat Hunter’s Course is relatively young having been in existence for less than 15 months. The course’s curriculum is still evolving but currently consists of three main parts; enhanced operations, combat profiling and combat tracking.
Enhanced observation is used to teach the Marines how to better use the equipment they already have and how to make their techniques more efficient. Combat profiling deals with recognizing human behavioral characteristics and recognizing patterns. Combat tracking is identifying tracks and information about individuals who’ve travelled through a specific area.
According to Capt. Adam A. Hecht, a team leader with the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion School of Infantry-East, the three phases of the course focus on different aspects of being in a hostile country. But when they’re all applied as one, they will give Marines a greater advantage over enemy combatants.
“The course is designed to create a proactive Marine, who is capable of acting in anticipation of events, in order to make him more survivable on the battlefield and to be more aware of his surroundings,” Hecht said.
These concepts are not intended solely for current military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but can be used in any situation to prevent terrorism. .
“The Combat Hunter’s Course is a universal concept and it’s not specific to any one country or culture,” Hecht said. “Through being able to observe better and utilize combat profiling and tracking and enhanced observations, the Marines ability to build a picture and their situational awareness will increase. They will be able to apply this knowledge anywhere.”
Usually, the course is attended by non-commissioned officers - specifically, infantry team and squad leaders. It’s been taught to all military occupational specialties since its inception.
Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, gave the course positive reviews and said they are more adept for a future deployment.
“Every Marine should take this course before they deploy,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Rios, an automatic rifleman with 3rd Platoon, Company B. “I’ve learned so much new material that will be able to help me in the short time we’ve been here.”
Cpl. Peter L. Dayton, an assistant instructor with AITB SOI East, said instructors notice remarkable amounts of improvements everyday in the Marine’s ability and confidence as they become more comfortable with the information being taught.
“On the first day or so, the Marines always raise their hands to ask questions because they don’t know much about what we’re teaching them,” Dayton said, “but once they figure it out, grasp the concepts and have increased confidence, the hand raising usually stops.”
The course is a mixture of instruction and actual application. The Marines must complete several scenarios and tests throughout the course. The scenarios can lasts for long periods of time and the Marines must battle fatigue and complacency in order to successfully complete their mission.
“The most challenging part of the course for the Marines is staying focused,” Dayton added. “The Marines are sometimes in observation posts for up to an hour and it can be sort of slow before it gradually picks up.”
Dayton said seeing Marines overcome obstacles and walk away with another set of tools they can use to protect themselves and their fellow Marines is a great sense of pride not only for him, but for all of the course instructors.
“The growth of the Marines gives us all a good amount of satisfaction,” Dayton said. “When the Marines leave here with more knowledge then before, for the instructors, it’s like, ‘hey, we’re doing our job.”
Ellie